Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI), Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipbuilding affiliate, announced that it recently won an order to build four 114,000 DWT Ice-Class IA Aframax tankers from Sovcomflot, the Russia’s state-owned shipping company. The world’s first LNG-fueled Aframax tankers, measuring 250 meters in length, 44 meters in width and 21 meters in height, are scheduled to be delivered from the third quarter of 2018 and to be chartered to Shell, to transport Russian crude oil. The entire order worth is expected to be around US$240 million.
By running on LNG, the Ice-Class IA tankers can emit 90% less SOx, 80% less NOx, 15% less CO2 along with 50% reduced engine noise. An HSHI official said, “We believe the winning of the world’s first LNG-fueled aframax tankers is the proof of our world’s leading eco-friendly shipbuilding technology. As the demand for eco-ships increases with tightening environmental regulations, we will further accelerate our efforts to win eco-ship orders.”